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Vodacom Group will it invests R1 billion in its current financial year to ensure that its network in South Africa can cope with Eskom blackouts.
CEO Shameel Joosub told TechCentral in an interview on Monday that most of this investment will be used to secure and install additional batteries and generators to ensure that their base stations continue to operate during charge shedding.
The progressive blackouts imposed by Eskom have ceased during the national shutdown due to a large decline in electricity demand, but are expected to return as the blockade eases and industries begin to operate again.
The impact of load shedding on South African cellular operators has been “dramatic,” Joosub said. Continued blackouts in February meant network availability was “severely affected.” Although the lack of availability at that time did not sound high, around 2-3%, “that’s huge for us.”
“In a telecommunication network, that’s a disaster. It leads to a bad customer experience, and customers don’t always appreciate that cell phone networks run on power. There is more mobile usage when the power goes out. But That can only last as long as the power lasts. “
The R1 billion spent to combat the impact of the shedding would have been spent on increased coverage and capacity of the Vodacom network, Joosub said. Vodacom spent R9.9 billion on its network in South Africa in the financial year that ended March 31, 2020.
Low consumption
Joosub said that IoT.nxt, a company acquired last year by Vodacom, is implementing technology at the operator’s sites that reduces power consumption by approximately 20%. The solution has already been implemented at 7,000 sites, and it plans to complete another 7,000 by March 2021.
Battery theft is also another major problem, but here Vodacom is turning to low-tech solutions to combat the scourge. The company loses more than R160 million / year due to battery theft.
“What we have done now is go to the old school. We put epoxy around the batteries and put cut glass on them. It looks horrible, but it’s working. When they come with an angle grinder, the blade breaks, ”said Joosub.
Vodacom is also exploring renewable energy sources, including the possibility of purchasing capacity in the future from independent power producers to decrease its dependence on Eskom. It is also considering solar energy as an alternative in some places, but “nothing is better than being connected to the grid.” – © 2020 NewsCentral Media
